After Wuhan, Guangzhou seems like a tropical paradise.
This morning we took off for Guangzhou. Hopping on and off of planes is already getting a little old, but at least we're sort of used to the process now. The mantra of this tour has turned out to have more to do with releasing our control tendencies than anything else. Things run differently over here, and we've just had to learn to trust that we'll all survive and everything will turn out okay, even if we have no information until just before things are supposed to happen.
This trip is really starting to take a toll on some of the orchestra members-- our poor accordionist had to carry her accordion onto the plane out of its case and then do battle with the flight attendants to get to sit with it on the flight. The cellos haven't gotten any better and I think the cellists are past frustrated and close to insane at this point.
On the drive from the airport to the hotel, we were amazed to see the amount of green in Guangzhou-- this place is a tropical paradise compared to the places we've been. Everywhere around us on the highway we could see rooftop gardens on the top of high-rise apartment buildings, and even the highways have planter boxes lining the overpasses.
The only downside of a lush landscape like this one is the fact that everything grows, including the mold on the walls of our hotel room. In Cellco Chick and Pixie B's room it was really bad, so CC is sleeping in our room and Pixie's staying with Sassy Jo and TinyFlutist, since the hotel was completely full up and there were no more rooms available to switch them into.
Speaking of the rooms, they all have peek-a-boo showers. Seriously. There's a glass window that can be covered with a shower curtain, and no curtain on the pathroom side of the shower (not necessary because there's no water pressure to speak of).
The BlueSky hotel is not precisely a hole, but we were all also extremely amused that the room rate board lists the rates as follows: Single Standard, Double Standard, Single Deluxe, Double Deluxe, Suite and HOURLY. Huh? Really? Not surprising I guess, considering that the third floor of the hotel is a BROTHEL. The Mouth got out on the third floor to try and ask a few questions (of course, it was more miming and less communcation), but one thing was unmistakable: the smell of SEX. As soon as the elevator doors closed we dissolved into laughter and choruses of "Happy ending!!!!" Yecch.
There are two redeeming things I've experienced here, though: the Huanghuagang Park across the street and Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. We passed the gardens when we went out walking and decided to go inside on a whim-- it turned out to be a fantastic idea. The gardens were quiet and peaceful, and we walked around them for an hour or so peering at the plants and monuments and observing groups of little old men and women playing cards or chess. It was better than any nap, and by the time we got back we were ready to headoff to the venue.
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall is gorgeous, inside and out. The building is eighty years old and has all the grandeur inside of the U.S.'s famous movie palaces. The outside matches the glory of the inside with bright colors and intricate architecture, and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. the rose beds in front of the hall held flowers of such a vibrant red taht my camera had a hard time capturing them without distortion, and my eyes watered from looking at them in the setting sun.
The concert tonight was pretty good, with the exception of the percussion instruments. Not too bad, except that the only gong they gave us was one of the tiny New Year's gongs used by the drummers that accompany dragon dancers. Its sound was so entirely inappropriate that the woodwind section completely lost their shit in the middle of the first piece in the second half-- an Asian flavored arrangement of Love Is A Many Splendored Thing with solemnly timed gong soundings meant to be played on a large and resonant instrument. As it was, it sounded like someone was dropping a wash basin down a staircase, and we laughed until tears ran down our faces every time it happened. Just when we though we had it pulled together it would start up again, and it took us a good five minutes to get ourselves under control after the piece was over.
Dinner was interesting tonight-- served family style. We had a lot of really phenomenal dishes, but the highlight was when they brought out the chicken, served with the head fried up as an ornament for the plate. People were having shit-fits. Really, when you think about it it's not surprising for a place that had vats full of snakes in the hallway. (No kidding-- see the picture here.)
Tomorrow, for a change, we're taking a bus to the next city, Shenzhen. Goodnight until later!
